Wildlife First clarifies on reports that say Ponnampet, Hunsur and Periyapatna will be included in forest expansion

Mysore: Wildlife First, a conservation advocacy organisation that has been intensively campaigning for nearly two decades in the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot in South India, has stated that a buffer zone to support tiger populations cannot include private lands, plantations and towns. 

This statement by Wildlife First comes in the wake of reports in a section of media that said following increasing man-tiger conflict and death of big cats, the Forest Department is working towards expanding the Nagarahole Tiger Reserve and buffer zones will be created for this purpose.

The reports stated that to strengthen tiger reserves, the Department officials are working on increasing the 653 sq km of Nagarahole Tiger Reserve by adding buffer zones and one such place is Ponnampet and surrounding areas, Hunsur and Periyapatna. 

Ponnampet and surrounding areas have gained importance because of the increasing sightings of tigers and over 10 sub-adults have been reported through camera traps and direct sightings, stated the reports.

The reports said that Ponnampet housed many villages and is a buffer between Nagarahole Tiger Reserve and Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary. It is also important because two tigers were killed here in 2018. The area was a traditional tiger migratory path in the 1950-60s.

In its statement, the Wildlife First has said that buffer zones to support tiger populations cannot include private land, plantations and towns like Ponnampet, etc. “As the name suggests, buffer zones are buffer or contiguous forest areas around a core or critical tiger habitat which can support spill over populations of tigers or act as corridors. Such buffer areas have to be finalised based on scientific and objective criteria with due regard to the rights of local people,” it stated. 

Logically therefore, the buffer zone must only include existing forests which can be notified under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. In buffer zones, the restrictions, if any, will only be in already existing Reserved Forests and not around an area of 10 km covering villages, plantations and private lands. 

“Wildlife First will monitor this issue and will campaign for exclusion of private lands, if included, and will write to the Government to include only contiguous forest areas in the buffer zone,” the statement read.